Rear brake rotor and pad change problems

[TTSupra628]

Hey All,

Recently I noticed vibration in one of my rotors so decided I'd replace the pads and rotors all the way around. I didn't know which one was warped so just did all of them. The fronts went great and without issue. The rears though were a nightmare. There was so much rush on the inside of the rear rotors I couldn't retract the parking brake / e-brake enough to get the pads past the lip. This problem resulted in lots of hammering and pulling to get the old rusted rotors off. My issue now centers around the backing plate. It is also incredibly rusted and while trying to get the rotor off, the rotor pulled the parking brake assembly with it. The two small pins that hold the parking brake to the backing plate ripped through and are now large holes so I don't know what to do next. Do I really need to get new backing plates as that seems VERY involved (removing the axle and all) and expensive. See picture below of the hole I am referring to.

Thanks everyone.

 

[turkeybird56]

Salt and Rust Belt. Gets to parts all the time, unfortunately. I am not a mechanic so any answer I give U would just be my opinion. In my opinion, I would replace all those parts on both sides, but do not know what all is involved and have never ever tried to do ne work like that. Many many years ago we pulled a rear and replaced, but not the complicated stuff of today's vehicles.

My thoughts, though skerry: See URL: Below, ultimate repair.

Dodge Ram 1500 Truck Rear Differential 9.25-Inch with Limited Slip 2013-2018

Rear axle differential for 2013-2018 Ram 1500 Pickup Trucks

www.nationaldifferential.com

 

[Princeton_Man]

Rear brakes are often neglected and living in a salt zone only makes things worse.

I have to agree with turkeybird56. Buy a couple cans of Deep Creep and saturate everything the night before and again in the morning. Putting it back together will be a lot easier than pulling it apart. I'd plan on replacing everything.

 

[TTSupra628]

Hmm. OK. Thanks for the info. This kind of work is way outside my comfort change. Rotors, calipers, pads all that is fine but if I have to remove an Axle I'll be out of my element.

 

[EdGs]

I'm so glad I live away from the salt belt.

Looks like a PITA for sure. May your repairs go smoothly.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Its probably going to be easier and just as quick to replace the backing plates than rig something up. Plus the bottom of that dust shield is all chewed up anyway. In 15 more minutes you can have the axles out. Once you pull the axles out, use care not to rotate the diff so you can save time not having to re-align the spider gears. You can re-use the gear lube if you keep it clean (and it's sitll good), or maybe now is a good timee to replace with new if it's time.

I would replace the axle seals with new Mopar seals while I was at it. New dust shields are avail I see for about $21 a side from Advance Auto. The bearings should be just fine unless you do a lot of hauling or heavy towing. Stuff rags in the holes once you pull the axles out so you don't get rust in the axle tubes/bearings, etc. Keep it all clean.

Putting a dial indicator on the rotors ...before the calipers go on. Takes the guesswork out of if a rotor will run true or not.

 

[TTSupra628]

@Jeepwalker you made that all sound so easy but it scares the crap out of me. I'm wondering how expensive this would be to bring to a mechanic and say... "Fix it".

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

@Jeepwalker you made that all sound so easy but it scares the crap out of me. I'm wondering how expensive this would be to bring to a mechanic and say... "Fix it".

My friend coworker just got hit for 800$ for that job, plus parts. It's really not that bad to do, plenty of videos on it to reference.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Not difficult at all. Easier than the brake work you're doing. Put vehicle on jackstand first:

1) Remove rear diff cover, drain gear lube in a clean catch-pan (cover pan & set aside for re-use)
2) Put tk in N, spin rear gear by hand and find/remove bolt that spaces the axle shafts. There are videos on this ...real easy to do -- just remove the one special bolt.
3) Once bolt is removed, push one axle IN, which will allow you to then remove the C-clip retainer. Remove it and slide the axle out. Do the same for the other axle.
4) Avoid rotating the diff carrier b/c the spider gears may move or drop down. But even if they do, you can just put back in place. Not a big deal.

There's that's it. You can use the stub end of the axle shaft to stick in the end of the seal and pry out (or use a seal puller). I would only use an OEM Mopar seal. Many aftermarket parts-store seals are inferior. Slide the axle back in carefully so you don't stress your new seal.

Then remove the outer dust shield and install the new dust shields, install your axles and finish your brake work. Takes a little extra time, but very straightforward. I'm sure there are lot of videos how to do this. You can re-install your old fluid using a simple suction gun.


As for how much a shop would charge? I don't know. This is one job you could take to just about any basic repair shop. It's straight-forward mechanical work. Yer probably looking at 3 hours maybe?? A bonehead mechanic who is in a hurry could definitely find ways to screw up an otherwise easy job: a) slide an axle in on top of the new seal during install, and tear it (then it'll leak and saturate your new brakes after you get it back), b) Use an inferior part's store axle seal, c) not use the right fluid, d) not clean off seal mating surfaces (more leaks), e) use a suction gun that's isn't clean, and full of crud and debris (which ruins your rear end -- which they will never admit and you will never be able to prove). F) figure out some other innovative way to screw up what is otherwise essentially basic work. But bonehead mechanics always surprise me with their innovation! lol

For those reasons I take my time and do the job myself (right). You're almost THERE ....you just have to pull the axles and install the new dust shields.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Go watch some axle-removal videos. Then you can judge the work for yourself.

 

[EdGs]

Go watch some axle-removal videos. Then you can judge the work for yourself.

I think ^^ this^^ is one of the best things about the internet. You can find instructions for just sbout any kind of repair.

However, don't just go on the basis of one video - there are some that are not the right way to do things, so you'll have to decide for yourself.

That is a big advantage of this forum. There are so many knowledgeable members that you can fix just about any issue with the Rams. I would not have been able to, or felt comfortable doing some of the service on my own Ram, if it were not for the awesome people here.

 

[Elvira]

You don't have to replace the backing plates, but it is highly recommended. They keep debris out of the workings of your emerg brake and anything that may get onto the rotor. Once you do change them, spray the area down with a good rust proofing product. i rust proof my truck entirely, living in Canada we get our share of salty roads...the under carriage is immaculate for removing anything and no signs of rust. It is not a serious task to remove axles, good opportunity to replace axle seals and fresh gear oil the same time, seals don't last forever either.